The 2013 boating season opened at Cherry Creek Reservoir on March 1 to kayakers, canoers and other boating enthusiasts. / Courtesy of Dawn Wilson

Written by

Dawn Wilson

For the Coloradoan

The 2013 boating season opened at Cherry Creek Reservoir on March 1 to fishermen, kayakers and other boating enthusiasts. / Courtesy of Dawn Wilson

Cherry Creek State Park

• Hours: 5 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily • Directions: Approximately one hour and fifteen minutes from Fort Collins. Take Interstate 25 south for approximately 52 miles to Exit 217B for Interstate 270 east toward Aurora/Limon. Merge onto Interstate 70 east to Interstate 225 south. Take Exit 4 for Colorado Highway 4/Parker Road south. The entrance to the park is approximately 2 miles south on the right. • Entrance fee: $9 daily or with annual Colorado Parks and Wildlife Annual Parks Pass • Pets: Leashed pets are permitted at the park, except on designated trails. There is a $2 daily or $20 annual fee for the dog off-leash area. • Information:www.parks.state.co.us/Parks/CherryCreek.

Coyotes roam the wooded and grassy areas of Cherry Creek State Park looking for meals of rabbits, prairie dogs and mice. / Courtesy of Dawn Wilson

A wide variety of birds can be found at Cherry Creek State Park, including ring-necked pheasants, shown here. / Courtesy of Dawn Wilson

Cherry Creek State Park is a recreational oasis just minutes from Denver's urban setting. / Courtesy of Dawn Wilson

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Cherry Creek State Park truly is an oasis in an ever-growing urban environment.

Surrounded by Greenwood Village, south Denver, Aurora and Centennial, the natural prairie landscape within the park is maintained as it would have appeared before settlers arrived in the Cherry Creek area in the 1800s.

Today, the park encompasses approximately 4,500 acres anchored by the 880-acre Cherry Creek Reservoir with many amenities for families, individuals and their canine friends.

“The jewel of the park is the reservoir,” said John Carson, senior ranger at Cherry Creek State Park. “A lot of people are attracted to the water in many ways, making the area the hub of activity.”

The abundance of water at the park generates unlimited recreational activities, including options for dogs, which will enjoy the 120-acre dog off-leash area complete with access to Cherry Creek, in the southeast area of the park.

“This (dog) area is popular every day of the year,” Carson said. “It’s a place that allows families to the elderly a space to exercise dogs and themselves while giving dogs an opportunity to socialize.”

Fun for all

The reservoir and the creek that feeds it provide ample opportunities for other activities.

The reservoir opened to boating for the 2013 season March 1, and the activity has picked up since. In addition to motorized boats, the lake is open to paddleboats, sailboats, rowboats, Jet Skis, sailboarding, canoes, pontoons and kayaks.

Fisherman will enjoy the ample supply of fish in the reservoir, including rainbow trout, crappie, carp, wiper, catfish and walleye. Each summer, the park holds fishing tournaments. Over the years, a few larger fish have been caught in the reservoir, including a 36-inch walleye and a 20-pound catfish. Although fishing is permitted at the reservoir throughout the year, including ice fishing when conditions permit, wildlife biologists release eggs into the reservoir in mid-March, which limits access to a few areas for a few weeks.

Exploring beyond the reservoir will take visitors into wetland habitat on the south side of the lake. This wetland preserve is rich with wildlife and includes 1.5 miles of easy, flat trails through woods, tall grasses and reeds. While in the wetland preserve, look for white-tailed deer, pheasants and coyotes.

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The trees and reeds will be full of songbirds and the shoreline attracts many water-loving birds. Look for red-winged blackbirds, American robins and northern flickers in the wooded areas, and keep an eye out for American white pelicans, avocets and white-faced ibis in the marshes and shoreline in these early spring months.

“The northern portion of the wetland area is a nice, easy walk, especially in morning and early evening to see wildlife,” Carson said.

For the hiking enthusiast, the park offers 30 miles of trails through various terrain; most are open to runners, cyclists, leashed pets and horseback riders in addition to hikers. Although many trails are relatively easy and flat, they cross different habitats, including short-grass prairie, wooded areas and riparian corridors.

For a mix of shoreline, mud flats and riparian corridors, take a hike along the Prairie Loop Trail. This quarter-mile nature trail provides options for seeing a wide variety of birds, including greater yellowlegs.

If you like the riparian corridor habitats but would like a longer trail, hike the Cherry Creek Trail. Extending more than 7 miles, this trail starts on the south end of the Cherry Creek State Park, crosses the full length of the park and then parallels the Cherry Creek Dam where the trail ends on the northeast side of the park.

The park has a year-round campground with 135 campsites with full hook-ups or basic camping options. Pay showers, laundry facilities and an abundance of local restaurants make this a very convenient and comfortable camping option in the Denver metropolitan area.

Cherry Creek State Park also has one of the few model airfields in the Denver area. Complete with asphalt runways, frequency posts and field regulations for radio controlled aircraft, young and old will enjoy this unique opportunity to fly model planes in open fields.

The park also has more than 100 picnic sites, a family shooting center, horse stables and a full-service marina. The stables offer trail rides, boarding and programs about horse care. The marina rents a variety of boats.

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“We get more than 11/2 million people each year visiting the park with Father’s Day and Fourth of July being our busiest holidays,” Carson said. “But we also have a large amount of special events from sailing to rowing to fishing tournaments to running and biking events throughout the summer.”

Historically significant

The park has quite a bit of local history. The area that makes up the park was privately owned prior to the establishment of the park in 1959. Many settlers moving west followed Cherry Creek and used the area as a rest stop as they moved off of the plains.

But the area was prone to flooding so the Army Corps of Engineers, which technically owns the park, started the construction of the dam in 1950 for flood management and mitigation.

In 1993, Pope John Paul II came to Cherry Creek State Park for World Youth Day. More than 375,000 people came to the park to listen to John Paul speak about stopping violence, stopping abortion and attending church.

After the park was established, the area became popular for recreation. Over the years, many features and amenities have been added to encourage and support recreational activities.

Dawn Wilson is a freelance writer and photographer, and volunteers as a Master Naturalist with the city of Fort Collins Natural Areas Department. Visit her website at www.DawnWilson Photography.com.